Why in news? The Central Government has launched the National Rabies Control Programme (NRCP) for prevention and control of Rabies.

Highlights:

• To address the issue of rabies in the country, National Rabies Control Programme was approved during 12th FYP as Central Sector Scheme to be implemented under the Umbrella of National Health Mission.
• The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) has also requested the concerned authorities to take appropriate action and to effectively implement the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2023 to control the dog population.

The Strategies of the National Rabies Control Program are as follows:

• Provision of rabies vaccine & rabies immunoglobulin through national free drug initiatives
• Training on appropriate animal bite management, prevention and control of rabies, surveillance and intersectoral coordination
• Strengthening surveillance of animal bites and rabies deaths reporting
• Creating awareness about rabies prevention

What are the components of the programme?

• The Programme had two components – Human and Animal Components.
• Human Component for roll out in the all States and UTs through nodal agency National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India
• Animal Health Component for pilot testing in Haryana and Chennai through nodal agency Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) under the aegis of MoEF&CC, GOI.

‘National Action Plan For Dog Mediated Rabies Elimination (NAPRE) by 2030’

• Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and Ministry of Fisheries Animal Husbandry & Dairying, Government of India jointly launched the programme
• The Central Government has framed the Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2023 which is to be implemented by the local authority to control the population of stray dogs.
• The main focus of the rules is on anti-rabies vaccination of stray dogs and neutering of stray dogs as means of population stabilization.

About Rabies

• Rabies is a preventable viral disease most often transmitted through the bite of a rabid animal. The rabies virus infects the central nervous system of mammals, ultimately causing disease in the brain and death.